Kolkata: In a city where festivities have mostly witnessed blaring loudspeakers, booming music and sleepless nights, this year’s Durga Puja celebrations, including immersions, were largely quieter.Be it Behala, Dhakuria or Amherst Street, residents said there had been a decline in blaring loudspeakers and late-night music. The decibels remained low even at the immersion rallies as the DJ music systems weren’t played along.For 82-year-old Amiya Dasgupta, a Behala resident, the difference was particularly striking. In previous years, the elderly often found themselves helpless against the relentless amplification of music from neighbourhood pandals. This time, the celebrations were restrained.Young revellers like Radhika Sarkar of Dhakuria, too, did not necessarily miss the decibels.The subdued soundscape also followed the tragic stampede at Chorbagan on Oct 17 and prompted several puja committees to temporarily suspend public entry and review crowd-management measures.Partha Ghosh, a key organiser of Shiv Mandir Puja and general secretary of the Forum for Durgotsav, said, “The experience raised a larger question about the character of community celebrations: whether festivals could retain their grandeur without excessive amplification.”Many puja organisers, he claimed, this time effectively used sound-limiters.In north Kolkata, where neighbourhood pujas traditionally spill onto narrow residential streets, the relatively lesser-noisy puja was equally noticeable.Amherst Street resident, Mrityunjoy Sen, felt that reducing unnecessary amplification could make festivities more inclusive.Environmental crusader Naba Dutta, general secretary, Sabuj Mancha, stressed the need to distinguish between a genuine change in public behaviour and temporary restraint.The apparent reduction also comes against the backdrop of tighter restrictions in certain areas.In Bidhannagar, puja organisers had been instructed to observe a 70-decibel ceiling and stop using public-address systems after 10pm.For Kolkata, the bigger question is whether this quieter celebration marks a lasting cultural shift or merely an exceptional year. “Durga Puja can be a riot of colours, creativity and collective joy without becoming a riot of noise,” said Subhas Datta, another green crusader.
